I had someone recently ask why don’t targets ever (practically) return calls or emails. He went on to say how he found it rude. He’s not alone and, frankly, it is rude, but it is also the norm.
In the targets’ defense, lots of these people are so crazy-busy as to make the average photographer look like a lazy slob (and that’s saying a ton since photogs are often very busy!). They quite literally cannot take the 2 minutes it would take to reply–especially since some of them get 25-50 (or more) emails and calls a day.
Many of them actually mean to reply, but not only do they not have time, they have learned that once they open that door, even a crack, some photographers body-slam their way in. In the case of emails, it may work like this:
Photog: I’ve got a new portfolio and would love to show it. When can I come by?
Target: I’m really busy, maybe in a couple of weeks.
Photog: When exactly? Let’s set something up! How about next Thursday at 10am? Or would 1pm be better?
At this point the target is thinking “Damn, I didn’t want to be rude but I never should have said anything. Now I can’t shake this photographer and I don’t have time to deal with it anyway…” This can lead to some seriously bad feelings.
By the way, a better original response from the photographer would have been “No problem–I’ll be in touch in a couple of weeks to see if the timing is better. Thanks!”
In many cases, a lack of response to an email/call may mean the target is just having a bad day and thus isn’t responding to anything unnecessary. By tomorrow, s/he will have forgotten about you (the forgetting may take as little as 15 minutes, to be honest) so you don’t get a response at all. This isn’t personal–your email/call simply isn’t important to that target at that time. In this case, try again in a week or so.
In all these cases, I am referring to specific, personalized emails and calls you are sending–not just the email promos you send en masse. You should never expect someone to call to say “Hey–I got your promo!” That’s unreasonable. But it is reasonable to expect to get a reply to an email like “Hey Betty–We talked a couple of months ago and you asked to see my new book when it’s ready. Well, it’s ready. Let’s set up something. I have lots of flexibility next week to come by. When might be good for you?”
Reasonable, but even these emails often get no response. Next time that happens to you, take a deep breath, try again, and if you get no response after a month, stop emailing/calling that contact for a few months (keep sending promos, though).
When it drives you nuts, just remind yourself “Maybe s/he’s having a bad day.”
I’ve also come to realize that leaving a brief voice mail is another way to reach out regardless of the call is returned.
Perhaps something like: “Hey [insert prospect name here] this is [your name] photographer from [your city], I’d like to drop by for a visit at your convenience. I’ll keep in touch. Until then, you can review my work to gage your interest at: http://www.hirebruce.com
I don’t really expect him to go to the site but at least he heard my name twice.
Thank you, Bruce, that’s a short, sweet voice mail message if I ever heard one. In fact, I’m going to use it during the postcard mailing follow-up calls I’m doing today.